The favorite: In a league where the favorites rarely change, South Carolina is the surprise No. 1 seed. But Tennessee's victory over the Gamecocks in the regular-season finale was a reminder it is still a strong contender. So is Texas A&M which, like the Vols, finished one game back of South Carolina at 13-3.

The dark horses: It's tough to call a No. 4 seed a dark horse, but while Kentucky didn't live up to its billing at times during the season, it has enough talent — and the league's top scoring offense — to make things interesting.

Florida: The fifth-seeded Gators (18-11, 8-8) scored some big wins this season, but were hurt by lack of depth. Florida, which has the third-best scoring offense in the league, would have to beat Kentucky for a third time this season to make it to the semifinals, but the Gators could be considered a dark horse to at least make it to Saturday.